Netflix’s 3-part documentary This Is the Zodiac Speaking takes us back to one of the most terrifying and unsolved cases in the history of the United States—the Zodiac murders. These crimes, which took place in the late 1960s, shocked the nation, and to this day, the true identity of the Zodiac Killer remains a mystery. This documentary revisits the investigation and sheds light on new developments over the years, keeping us glued to the screen as we explore the chilling details of this case.
What Was the Zodiac Killer’s Motive?
The story of the Zodiac Killer begins in 1968 in Vallejo, California, where a string of brutal murders rocked the city. What made these murders even more disturbing was the fact that the killer, who called himself the Zodiac, taunted the police. He sent letters and cryptic messages to the authorities, bragging about the killings and providing them with clues, almost as if it was a game. The Zodiac had no clear motive for killing his victims; it seemed like he was simply committing these heinous acts for his own twisted amusement. The randomness and cruelty of the murders made the situation even scarier for the public.
Victims like Betty Lou Jenson, David Arthur Faraday, and Michael Renault tragically lost their lives between 1968 and 1969. However, Bryan Hartnell was one of the few people to survive an encounter with the Zodiac. He gave the police a chilling description of the masked man, revealing that all he could see were his cold, frightening eyes. This was a time before the advent of CCTV cameras and advanced forensic technology, so tracking the Zodiac was a near-impossible task for the local police.
As the case gained national attention, detectives Dave Toschi and Bill Armstrong from the San Francisco Police Department were brought in to take charge of the investigation. As they dug deeper, they speculated that the Zodiac may have committed earlier murders, possibly as early as 1963. They believed these killings might have been a “test run” for the Zodiac to perfect his methods. Despite their efforts to decipher the cryptic codes he sent, a lack of solid evidence kept the police from making any significant arrests, leaving the public in fear that the killer would never be caught.
Why Did Arthur Leigh Allen Go to Prison?
One of the key suspects introduced in This Is the Zodiac Speaking is Arthur Leigh Allen. Allen was a former schoolteacher and had a close relationship with the Saltwater family, particularly the Saltwater children—Connie, David, and Don. His warm and caring behavior toward the kids seemed suspicious to some, as if he had hidden motives. Despite being a prime suspect in the Zodiac case, Allen’s first stint in prison wasn’t related to the murders.
Allen was convicted and sent to Atascadero State Hospital on charges of sexually abusing minors. It came to light that he had drugged and taken advantage of the Saltwater children, all while their mother, Phyllis, remained unaware. Shockingly, Phyllis continued to correspond with Allen, even after his conviction, hiding this fact from her children for years. While Allen was in prison, the Zodiac killings stopped, raising suspicions that he could indeed be the murderer.
Although the police found several suspicious items in Allen’s home, including pipe bombs, they couldn’t find enough concrete evidence to link him directly to the Zodiac murders. Even after his release, when the Zodiac letters began again, the authorities were still unable to arrest him. Allen maintained his innocence, stating during a televised interview that he was being wrongfully accused and used as a scapegoat by law enforcement.
Was Arthur Leigh Allen the Real Zodiac Killer?
The most shocking moment in the documentary comes when Allen makes a phone call to David Saltwater, one of the children he once taught, and confesses that he was the Zodiac Killer. In this call, Allen admitted not only to drugging the Saltwater children but also to the murders that had taken place between 1968 and 1969. However, despite this confession, the police could not charge him due to a lack of physical evidence.
Phyllis, the mother of the Saltwater children, kept a collection of letters from Allen, along with disturbing home videos that showed his unsettling behavior. These provided more insight into his disturbed mind, but they still weren’t enough to prove in court that Allen was the Zodiac Killer. Allen died of natural causes in 1992, and with his death, the case was essentially closed. In his final letter, Allen again denied being the Zodiac, which left the public and law enforcement divided—some believed his confession to David, while others remained skeptical.
Did New Evidence Come to Light?
Despite Allen’s death, the Zodiac case remained open, largely due to advances in technology. Forensic science progressed, and new evidence started to emerge. With the help of supercomputers, many of the Zodiac’s cryptic codes were finally cracked. This gave investigators hope that they might one day solve the mystery.
One of the most significant pieces of new evidence involved a murder in Riverside, California, where a woman named Cheri Jo Bates was killed. Arthur Leigh Allen had submitted an absence slip to his school the day after the murder, raising suspicions that he might have been in the area at the time. Another crucial piece of evidence came from Connie Saltwater’s son, who had taken a knife from Allen’s car when he was a child. This knife was later sent to a forensics lab for testing, and the results were still pending at the time of the documentary’s release.
Will the Zodiac Case Ever Be Solved?
The Zodiac case remains unsolved, but with each new piece of evidence, there is hope that the mystery may one day be unraveled. As technology continues to advance, forensic experts are uncovering clues that were once impossible to find. For now, the families of the victims still await closure, and the Zodiac Killer’s true identity remains one of the most puzzling and infamous mysteries in American criminal history. The documentary leaves us with more questions than answers, but it also reminds us that justice may still be within reach.